Scientists say climate pattern likely will be a weak one, but effects will be felt beyond California

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Southern Marin firefighter Dave Lloyd looks over the scene of a mudslide in which a woman was rescued from the wreckage of her home in Sausalito, Calif. on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

An aerial view of a levee that was breached during a rain storm on February 14, 2019 in Novato, California. The San Francisco Bay Area is cleaning up from a storm that caused 50 homes in the town of Sausalito to be evacuated after a mudslide struck homes and sent at least one sliding 75 yards down a hill. No injuries were reported. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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A view of the roof of a home that was swept down a hill by a mudslide during a rain storm on February 14, 2019 in Sausalito, California. 50 homes in the town of Sausalito were evacuated after a mudslide struck homes and sent at least one sliding 75 yards down a hill. No injuries were reported. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

An aerial view of a levee that was breached during a rain storm on February 14, 2019 in Novato, California. The San Francisco Bay Area is cleaning up from a storm that caused 50 homes in the town of Sausalito to be evacuated after a mudslide struck homes and sent at least one sliding 75 yards down a hill. No injuries were reported. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Firefighters search for a woman trapped in the rubble of a Sausalito home after a mudslide on Thursday morning. (Marin County Sheriff’s Office photo)

A worker walks through mud as he tries to get a better view of home that was swept down a hill by a mudslide during a rain storm on February 14, 2019 in Sausalito, California. 50 homes in the town of Sausalito were evacuated after a mudslide struck homes and sent at least one sliding 75 yards down a hill. No injuries were reported. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A home came to rest next to an out building on Crescent Avenue in Sausalito, Calif. after a mudslide early Thursday morning, Feb. 14, 2019. One woman had to be rescued when her home slid down the hill. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

Southern Marin firefighter Dave Lloyd looks over the scene of a mudslide in which a woman was rescued from the wreckage of her home in Sausalito, Calif. on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

A search and rescue worker searches through debris next to a home that was swept down a hill by a mudslide during a rain storm on February 14, 2019 in Sausalito, California. 50 homes in the town of Sausalito were evacuated after a mudslide struck homes and sent at least one sliding 75 yards down a hill. No injuries were reported. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that an El Niño, a recurring climate pattern that has tormented Northern California residents in past decades, was here again. Fortunately, forecasters say, this is expected to be a weak El Niño. Still, its effects will likely be in full display beyond California’s borders as it sends some wicked weather to parts east — and especially across the southern swath of the United States.

AccuWeather meteorologists describe El Niño as “a part of a routine climate pattern that occurs when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean rise to above-normal levels for an extended period of time.”

“El Niño conditions across the equatorial Pacific have come together, and we can now announce its arrival,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “While sea surface temperatures are above average, current observations and climate models indicate that this El Niño will be weak, meaning we do not expect significant global impacts through the remainder of winter and into the spring.”

AccuWeather meteorologist Brett Rossio said that “despite being a weak El Niño, places in California and Texas will likely be rather wet as we get into the spring months. An active Pacific jet stream will provide deep Pacific moisture across much of the Lower 48, keeping it relatively mild, albeit the air will feel cooler on average across the South where heavy rain will persist and prevent strong warmups as we typically see in the spring months.”

Some parts of the country have already experienced the impact of this latest El Niño, Rossio said: “Very heavy rain across California has already been a strong indication that we have experienced the effects of El Niño.”

Patrick May is an award-winning writer for the Bay Area News Group working with the business desk as a general assignment reporter. Over his 34 years in daily newspapers, he has traveled overseas and around the nation, covering wars and natural disasters, writing both breaking news stories and human-interest features. He has won numerous national and regional writing awards during his years as a reporter, 17 of them spent at the Miami Herald.

A severe storm threat extends on the massive cyclone's south and east side, from northern Mississippi and Alabama into southern Michigan. "Damaging winds and a few tornadoes will be possible along with large hail," the Weather Service said Thursday.